Are we truly alone?
by RockingThursday
Summary: Life on this alternate Midgard was boring but safe. He liked being here with Tom and never wanted to leave, but will his presence bring harm to his new friend?
1. Chapter 1

Late present, hope you like it! And Happy New Year!

Disclaimer: I cannot own Marvel or its characters, tis impossible.

Note: the lines indicate switches between the realities

* * *

He had a clear mind, free from all those whispers and temptings, and was able to think for himself for the first time in a long time. It was only his thoughts and his alone. He could finally go home, even if he was to be put in the dungeons, he was happy nonetheless. However, he also felt guilt in the pit of his stomach, destroying this city and endangering its inhabitants. Betrayal by father… no, Odin was difficult for him, and he made some mistakes but he didn't think it would escalate to such heights. By now the entire kingdom would have think him a monster, how could he go back to a home where everyone hated him to their core, what family could he go back to. Rotting in the dungeons didn't sound so bad, at least he was safe from _him._

After saying his goodbyes to his friends, Thor motions for him to grab the mechanism and the cube within it glows intensely. Thor turns the handle on its side and a beam of light engulfs them both. Before he knows it, an electric surge of sorts rushes through his body, it hurts immensely and he can't think straight anymore. His eyes search for Thor, he is no longer by his side and he starts falling. Not again he groans, but this time he is being hurled in a downwards spiral with colours similar to the Bifrost flashing before him. He feels ill, already heaving but resists the urge to puke as he remembers he is gagged. He can no longer take the pressure, feeling light-headed, his heavy lidded eyes close.

* * *

Tom looks out the window, something calls to him but he can't quite put his finger on it. A certain familiarity beacons to him, it wants him to go to it. However, he doesn't feel like leaving, he feels fatigued from the all the acting he did today. He looks away and continues unpacking his stuff, he had left in a hurry this morning and hadn't the time to unpack properly. He hopes he's done enough preparation to allow himself time to get to the set and have breakfast with ample time to rest before doing the scenes. Satisfied with his work, he tries to change and prepare for bed but not before the feeling of being called came again. No longer being able to stand it, he put on his jacket, grabbed his hotel card and phone before leaving the room.

He looked into the woods, the only sources of light were the street side lamp posts and the moonlight, occasionally obscured by the clouds moving through the night sky. He contemplated whether to enter or not, it was quite dark and he could only see the outlines of the trees and ground. He turned on the flash of his phone and hoped he wouldn't get lost, then stepped into the darkness gingerly, shoes crunching any fallen leaves and breaking twigs every now and then. His heart pumped loudly in his chest, feeling that if it had beaten any harder that it might jump out of his throat. He didn't know where he was going but his instincts lead him towards his destination, he followed blindly. As he got closer and closer, he felt colder and colder as if the temperature dropped even more so when he progressed through the woods.

"Strange… it wasn't this cold when I got out" white puffs of breath formed as he spoke. He was already shivering and his choice of clothing didn't help, however he wasn't deterred from all this. His instincts kept tugging at him to move forward even though he felt that there was nothing to be found in the forest, he was about to be proven wrong. His phone shone onto something… gold? He let out a loud gasp as he saw it was a man, unconscious and in something similar to his Loki costume.

"Hey, are you alright?" Tom shook the man, trying to jolt him awake to no avail. He decided to bring him back to the hotel, it would be pointless to call an ambulance to the middle of nowhere. Tom grunted as he lifted the man, despite his size he was a lot heavier than Chris! The chains and shackles on the "Loki's" arms were in the way and Tom had to put his head through in order to support the taller man. Retracing his steps with the man in tow, he was trudging with the extra weight. He was getting increasingly worried as he continued walking, the man's skin felt as cold as ice and seemed like he would get hypothermia if Tom didn't hastened his pace.

* * *

"Point-Break, Wake up! Reindeer games is gone!" Tony was yelling in Thor's face, some of the other Avengers seemed to have been thrown a few feet away from them.

"What the- the tessaract's gone too, you don't think he uh" Hawkeye made a "magic" kind of gesture, he was still a bit disoriented and continued stumbling a bit as he approached them. SHEILD agents surrounding the perimeter were searching for any signs of the trickster and the tessaract, others were barricading passerbys from entering the park but didn't let any leave either, necessary witnesses.

"Director Fury is coming, Thor you have any idea what happened?" Natasha leaned onto Bruce for support, she was pinching the bridge of her nose, fighting a headache. Bruce didn't look too well either, he looked to be spacing out. Thor awoke from his stupor and looked for Loki. It felt like the time when he was cast to Midgard by Allfather, he felt giddy and couldn't stay on his feet for long, so he resigned to sitting on the floor.

"Neigh Lady Natasha, I know naught. Where is my brother?" Thor was hunched forward with elbow resting on his lap while Tony was leaning against the railing as his legs weren't working very well either, he was tapping away on his phone and was communicating with JARVIS via bluetooth headset. Each of them tried to recall the event, trying to make sense of what happened. Fury had finally arrived and demanded answers, Natasha told him what they thought had happened. He was irritated and beyond enraged, he started barking orders into his earpiece and yelled something about wanting to keep tabs on everything and anything that happened within the park's vicinity. Shortly after, the Avengers were shipped off to Tony's lab to do testing, unsure if there were any side effects besides being giddy as hell.

"Well uh, the good news is that nothing seems off, but uh we might be like this for a while…I think" Bruce was looking at saliva samples, statistics of the Avengers well-beings and writing notes as he spoke, he still looked a bit off. Tony was watching the footage of the event over and over, dragging screenshots of the video to the sides of his holographic screen, circling and writing whatever he deemed fit to have set the event in motion. He brought his mug to his lips, brows furrowing when he didn't feel any coffee meet his lips, huffed in exasperation when DUM-E tried to refill it and only to spurt it all over his workspace. He then proceeded to fix the coffee nozzle while the cleaning bot sucked up the felled liquid.

"Enough of this 'testing', I must find my brother!" Steve promptly grabbed Thor from under his arms, preventing him from making a new hole in Tony's lab.

"You can't leave, you're not well enough yet" Steve hesistantly let go of the blond, afraid that he might fly off. The chair groaned under Thor's weight as he sat down, he was worried about Loki, especially since the tessaract was gone as well, he feared for the worst. He still had that cotton taste on his tongue, the doctor called it a 'swab' and said that it was part of the 'testing'_._ He didn't like it.

"Point Break, relax! We'll find him and he's probably as battered as the rest of us, no way he'd leave the place that quick. Maybe he dropped in the water of something…" Thor was glaring daggers at Tony "Okay maybe not the water, uh maybe he got stuck in a tree" Tony gave a grin and quickly turned his chair to avoid 'awkward' with the raging thunderer.

Clint was looking at the footage as well, helping Tony find 'interesting' points before and during the event. The archer recalls that the tessaract had never acted strangely in Selvig's care, it had always remained quiet until Loki showed up. The glow was different too, when Thor activated the cube in the park it suddenly became extremely bright, then he was blinded and blasted away by an invisible force… "_was it_ _magic?"_

After the testing, they all went to their rooms to rest except Tony. No matter how slowed down the footage was, he couldn't see what happened just before the flash of light. "_Ugh magic " _he groaned, he finally stopped watching after a couple of hours, his brain was in pain and demanded that he sleep.

* * *

Loki kept slipping in and out of consciousness, only aware that someone was holding him up and bringing him somewhere. The most irritating was the flash of light, it hurt his eyes immensely when it was shone straight into his irises. He felt extreme exhaustion and couldn't keep his eyes open for long periods of time. What was most comforting yet peculiar was the warmth of the body next to him, he had never felt such warmth before, even from Thor's crushing embraces. Unknowingly, he leaned ever so slightly towards the being that radiated heat akin to a pleasant summer's day, with the smallest smile upon his lips.

* * *

To be continued…

If you like :D


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry for the long wait, I wanted to make a more elaborate story.

However, you won't have to wait as long for the next one :D (I hope)

* * *

He woke up with eyes still hazy, trying to adjust to the whited room which smelled of strange herbs. Someone was touching him, he tried to swat them away but the persistent hands continued to examine his face. They stretched his eyes and shone a bright light onto him, the hands moved to roam on his torso then he looked down at his body to find that his top armour had been removed and a metal object was placed onto his chest, it moved around as if trying to find something. His eyes snapped wide open and his pushed the being off him and slammed it into the nearest wall, the sudden impact knocked the wind out of the body and it slumped onto the floor.

"Doctor, is everythin-oh god…" Tom gasped into his hands, Loki leapt at this chance to pin this second body to the other wall, wanting to knock it out but paused when realised he was staring at himself.

"What trickery is this, Who are you?!" his anger was seething through his teeth. How dare this, this mortal wear his face and yet have the gall to face him, a death sentence was in order.

"No, wait, Loki" said god had a very dark face, emerald eyes hinting at the rage and destruction that was soon to follow, "My name is Tom, Thomas Hiddleston" azure hues stared back in uncertainty and fear. Tom had to think fast, a psycho fan -he heard of those, but didn't really think much of them at that time- his mind raced to filter for solutions to his predicament.

"You were hurt and unconscious, I brought you to see the doctor-er healer. Don`t worry, SHIELD doesn't know you`re here" Tom hoped this calmed Loki down enough, he still had to think of a way to get help before anything worse happened. The trickster let him go and began to pace in-front of him, a flick of his wrist and he was adorning his full set of armour, previously pried off by Tom. The englishman was dumbstruck _"He actually exists?! Shit…what do I do"_, he couldn't let Loki leave and highly possibly endanger the entire world.

"But you can`t go out there willy nilly, er- you`d get caught in your condition. Let me help you", Loki eyed Tom sceptically, eyes narrowed with distrust but he nodded for the man to go on "You can stay with me while you heal, no one would think to find you here with a mortal like me". Tom went on to explain the place he was in and other details to further gain Loki's trust, surprisingly the god agreed. He became tense when Tom tried to phone an ambulance. They couldn't just leave the doctor like that, the elderly looking physician could have been seriously hurt especially since Loki was Asgardian.

"Loki, if you want to stay hidden, you have to adhere to my rules and conditions" that earned him a glare "if you don`t you would be found easily". Loki contemplated this, the mortal was right and if he was to stay, he had to abide by this Thomas` wishes.

"What are your conditions, mortal" he asked as he sat down on a chair, he tried sitting in his favourite position but decided on sitting leg over the other when pain shot up his right side.

"…you can't kill or hurt anyone, you can't be seen by anyone and no magic unless necessary" Tom finished his lengthy detailed list of conditions and hoped that there were no loopholes. The name Loki silvertongue was not just for show, the god had the ability to manipulate anything to his advantage even if there was the slightest flaw. Loki concealed himself and watched as men in whited garbs brought the healer into a strange white carriage, it made the most horrid noises with irksome red blinking lights. Afterwords, he followed his lookalike to a grand looking building, into a small room which elevated itself to a higher level and walked into one of the numbered rooms.

"Tom, what are you doing up so late?" it was Robert, he was in those types of clothing when he didn't want people recognising him, a hot cup of something in hand. Loki was about to attack when Tom moved infront of him, his magic allowed him to be invisible to everyone but Tom and this was one of the conditions too, the god wanted to push the mortal aside when he realised it wasn't the same man he threw out of Stark Towers.

"Couldn't sleep, I went for an evening walk. You?" Tom smiled, Loki didn't like this Thomas one bit.

"Late night snack" he replied sheepishly.

"Ehehehe, haven't you had enough snacks during filming today? " both chuckled as they chatted. The other man was polite, no snarkniess just light jesting of Thomas' evening activities, this was clearly not the Man of Iron. They said their goodnights and Tom guided Loki into his room. Robert's was down the hall way, the Chris' were on the floor below while the "assassins" and Mark were a few floors up.

Loki surveyed the room then sat cross legged on the floor in front of the tv, he deemed it uncluttered enough for him to perform him healing spells without the mortal getting in the way. They were in the living room that had a sofa to the wall and lengthy glass windows adjoining to it, the curtains closed and the lighting in the room emanated from the wall lamps, the main ones were too bright for Loki's liking. Tom goes into the next room and dresses for bed, all the while telling Loki what he was going to do tomorrow and wanted Loki to not wander about. Loki says yes for the sake of shutting up the incessant talking, he needs to concentrate and sighs in relief when the mortal finally says goodnight and goes to bed.

Over the course of the next few days, Tom tries to get to know Loki more, for the sake of familiarising with each other and his acting, maybe, definitely, yes. Loki's evasive though, not wanting to have anything to do with the Brit but Tom keeps trying and hoping Loki will come through. Tom doesn't want to accidentally set off the ticking time bomb, so he tries a more subtle approach and ask about the avengers first, Loki confirms this and other events as well.

"Amazing, so that means the movie- erm…did you try to take over Earth, I mean Midgard?" the trickster that was so interested in flipping channels endlessly suddenly whipped his head to Tom's position, eyes narrowing in distrust, how did the mortal know…

"Yes, but not this one, it seems this realm is an alternate to the one I tried to conquer." he says it quite nonchalantly, Tom winces a little.

He tried his luck and pried a little more "Th-Thanos, were you…" the god had suddenly appeared infront of Tom and lifted the man by his collar.

"How much do you know" it wasn't a question, a demand from a deity whose face was dark and voice dangerous. Tom didn't tell Loki everything, just parts from the Avengers movie, the taller man was in shock but his face didn't show it. Tom was dropped to the floor like a rag doll and Loki laughed hysterically, Tom was quite frightened by this, then Loki walked away and slowly sat back down on the sofa with hands gripping the seat tightly.

"Loki…" the god was trembling, his hands clenched and raven hair obscuring his features. His treachery against mankind for all to see, entertainment for the dull masses, a belligerent monster bent on destruction. Tom puts a hand on his shoulder, no response, he sits down next to him and quietly tries to soothe him.

"He manipulated and controlled you, you didn't have a say in it" he reasons.

"But my desires were what started it!" he spat back, his eyes were dry, his tears were lost to Odin long ago.

Tom understands why Loki is so upset, he practically became the god whenever they were filming, he had to feel and suffer as he did to make his performance palpable. Said god disappeared, unable to withstand this mockery any longer, Tom stares into the empty space left behind and sighs before getting up. It is days later that he finds Loki back in the room, Tom is relieved that nothing bad has happened, so far there were no news of any catastrophic proportions since vanishing. So they sit there in comfortable silence, it is a long time before Tom realises Loki fell asleep.

* * *

The entire park was cordoned off and the location where the tesseract was supposed to activate properly was crowded with scientific apparatus, authorized SHIELD personnel and some of the Avengers. Bruce, Tony, Dr Selvig and Jane were nearby discussing with holographic screens of charts, theories, numbers and equations. Black Widow and Hawkeye scouted the area for suspicious activity and the such. Thor was still away in Asgard asking the more magic adept Aesirs for their expertise, Heimdal did not find any fault despite periodically inspecting the Bifrost that was still being restored, Lady Sif and the Warriors Three aided the search by travelling to other realms particularly in places Heimdal couldn't look in properly.

"The energy readings are decreasing rapidly, I calculate it would completely dissipate by the next week" Bruce swipes his screen information to the others and continues to monitor the radiation levels.

"Hopefully Point-Break will be coming back today, details on this 'magic' might shed light, or not" Tony downs his cup of coffee, suddenly he shivers for no apparent reason, blinks slowly at his reaction then shrugs it off.

"I still can't believe you let him use it when it was clearly faulty!" Jane huffs.

"It only glitched, maybe Reindeer-games did something, we don't know…yet" justifys the billionaire.

They had a long and detailed discussion/argument on the subject. It was late noon when Thor arrived, he used the tesseract to send himself somewhere within the park but not too near the spot the cube malfunctioned at.

"Jane, friends, I have returned with news", boomed the thunderer, "the Aesir and Heimdal know nought of this while the Lady Sif and the Warriors Three have yet to return to Asgard from their search".

"And how will you know?" inquired the Man of Iron.

"Mother has given me this" Thor removes a small round amulet from his neck, it had a ruby crystal in the centre, "When the gods still visited Midgard, they used this to communicate with the mortals".

"How?" Tony raised an eyebrow sceptically, that piece of jewellery was not tech.

"Like this" a woman was project from the crystal, from shoulders up, although she looked older than Thor, she was very youthful looking and radiant.

"And who might you be" as soon as he saw her, Tony switched on his charm.

"She is Frigga the Allmother, Queen of Asgard and my mother" at the end of the sentence Tony was staring wide eyed, he immediately changed his demeanour to something more appropriate, he was not Iron man right now and being hammered by Point-Break didn't sound all that fun either.

After the introductions and conversing about the problem at hand, they realised they could only wait for Lady Sif's group to find Loki or track where Loki could have been sent to, magic was a pain in the butt for sure. When they were done, the amulet switches off, the jewel's ominous glow ceased entirely and becomes silent. Thor decides to give it to Jane for safekeeping, should they require more assistance from the Aesir again. Bruce manages to not transform into the hulk as an extremely bored Tony pesters him over and over, Jane comes back with Darcy, the agents didn't want to let her in and Jane had to go get her. Darcy is buzzing with excitement, being able to meet the Avengers was totally awesome, Tony puts on a smile though he was wary of her. The hacked SHIELD files had indicated that she was a trigger-happy chick with a tazer, it was ironic though, the god of thunder was KO'd by an electric tazer…_pfft._ Bruce gives him a look and Tony just shrugs.

They work round the clock trying to find out what had happened that day, the Aesirs that studied the tesseract found no fault, the scientists revised some of Dr Selvig's previous research on the cube. It had never acted that way before while it was in his care, even when he was mind-controlled. Hawkeye noted that the glow was different during the accident..maybe it had other types of energy? Or the fact they used it outdoors and not for opening a dimensional portal might have played a significant role, any variables to where and when it was used, what it was used for and who used it could have altered its nature. Tony was now just staring it the thing as if willing all the answers to come forth from it.

"Er, you might not want to do that, radiation and all… also it tells people things" Tony looks at him incredulously, the doc must have really lost it while he was with the diva.

"When I was with Loki, it was able to give me information on how to make the portal, it also told Agent Barton the necessary apparatus needed for-" the group was just staring at him.

"And you tell us this, now?!" Selvig nods his head slowly, Tony rolls his eyes and huffs in exasperation.

"Would you have actually believed me if I told you that the tesseract could talk, would you?!" he shouts back as he stands.

"We need to calm down and rethink this, are there any dangers or side-effects when conversing with it?" Selvig sits back down and ponders, everyone is tense, Bruce casually throws away the pen he just broke into a bin.

* * *

A month since he arrived, he has done small pranks but nothing more than that as he had promised, however some of the mischief is blamed on Tom. The poor man apologises or if it's funny and didn't hurt anyone he just laughs. Loki is confused by this, he is trying to make the ever jovial mortal angry, he doesn't understand why the man is not tearing at his hair in suppressed rage or even yelling at him to leave. Tom just smiles and says anger is never a solution. Loki finds that if he pranks too much, Tom finishes all the pudding or doesn't buy anymore, so he tries to do it in smaller doses. It is beneath him to steal, he doesn't want to depend on Tom too much either, so he never asks to buy more.

One day, he decides to trail Thomas to his workplace. In the early morning when the sun is not even up yet, the man gets up quietly and goes about preparing to leave while on the phone ordering breakfast for them. Tom finishes his breakfast and leaves. Loki's breakfast comes hours later because the god enjoys sleeping in late, also he threatened to colour all his clothing pink if his breakfast was cold, unless he ordered sugared cereal. They enter a large building and Tom goes straight for one of the rooms, Loki realises the place looks like fragmented pieces of the helicarrier, the cage he was in was also there. He just stands at the side watching the transformation of the tea-loving fool into the God of Chaos. He frowns as he sees Tom in full costume, in the cage with –Joss- as the man gives instructions, Tom nods and adds his own thoughts on how Loki should be.

"This is my bargain you mewling quim…" Loki can't tear his gaze from the scene, it is strange to look at yourself from a different point of view and yet know it isn't you. The man in the cage is intense, every movement, every expression menacing and vicious. He is not a helpless bird trapped in a cage, he is dangerous panther readying himself for the kill should the chance arise, should they let down their guard. Loki feels irritated though, being bested by a mortal with deception, he would never live that down. After the scene they take a break, Scarlett takes a sip of her water then does an instant spit-take, her drink was mixed with salt and tasted horrible. Tom immediately gives her his tea, she thanks him and takes big gulps to wash away the lingering tang of the salt. He shoots a glare down Loki's way and the god just smirks before vanishing.

Another month and they develop a routine of sorts, both are comfortable with each other's presence and Loki won't admit it but he likes the fact that Tom treats him with the kindness that he gives anyone else. The god has learnt much from the Midgardian culture and wonders why he tried to dominate their realm. Being king was a nerve-wrecking position he knows that very well and if he tried to be ruler of Midgard, he'd have more white-grayed hairs than the Allfather, Midgard had more countries than Odin had realms to look after. He's glad that the Avengers had snapped him out of _his_ control, being in this alternate world was better for him and Tom was probably the only friend he would ever have.

* * *

To be Continued...


	3. Chapter 3

Tada! :D

Note: To prevent confusion(hopefully), Evans and Hemsworth or their acting roles and speech to differentiate between them.

... between paragraphs is time passing to another day (not specific)

* * *

Robert was the first to notice. Tom was constantly acting strange nowadays, there were more pranks and he was getting really good at pretending, as in you would be in a room with him and won't realise that the man did something until later. Sometimes when Tom is in full costume, he can't help but get creeped out when he starts to stare, like he's out to get someone. Also he was sure Tom had developed super powers or something, he'd be in one place and later on he'd suddenly appear in another, it was most aggravating when someone needed to find him because you didn't know if he was really there or someplace else.

"Tom, you have to tell me your secret! I can't take it any longer" he complains with a whiny voice, like Tony's.

"Not unless you tell me yours, how in all the realms can you hide your food and have no one find it, ever?!" Robert chuckles at this, _realms…pfft, _he suddenly shudders for no reason but he shrugs it off and thinks he's cold or something.

"Nuh-uh, no way, but don't worry I like to share" he grins and grabs something from the nearby desk, he opens the packet and offers Tom some chips. The other man just gapes in astonishment, he soon recovers and takes a piece. Robert can't help but notice a green tint in Tom's eyes, he thinks it's contacts and doesn't bother, he skips towards Mark who calls him over. "Tom" vanishes with a knowing smirk. Chris in his Thor costume suddenly runs past with flaming cape in hand, the crew nearby quickly put it out with an extinguisher, _the costume department was so not going to like this._

"Dude, what happened?","Don't know mate, I was playing with Mjolnir over there then it just caught fire. Lucky Tom told me, else I'd burn my ass" Tom rushed to Chris and checked him over.

"You alright?" he asks worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm good" sighs the blond.

After the incident, Robert can't wrap his head around on how Tom got to Chris so fast when he had only been with the brit just before. No one knows why the cape caught fire, they think it's faulty wiring but nothing's proven conclusive.

...

Time passes and more of the main cast realise that something is off with Tom, especially when there are very little or no people around. They also find that he sometimes looks more tired than usual, like he argued with someone, he says he's okay but they feel otherwise. Chris manages to catch him on break in his dressing room and tries to ask, he brushes it off, the glass he's holding suddenly drops to floor and breaks into many pieces decorating the carpet like glittering diamonds. Tom apologises and goes to get a broom, Chris removes his hazardous velvet cape and gathers the larger shards in a magazine. When he gets the last one, he finds that the magazine is dripping red liquid, he looks to his palm…he has no hand just a stump squirting blood. He screams in fright and closes his eyes shut, wanting the scene to go away, he opens his eyes again and the horrific injury is no more.

Someone tugs at his shoulders and he yells in surprise, "Woah, you okay mate?" it's Tom, he looks comical in his Loki get up while holding a broom and dustpan but Chris is too petrified to even laugh.

"Uh…yeah" he tries to give a reassuring smile then dumps the shards into the dust pan and takes a seat, away from the carpeted area. So many strange things keep happening to him and this was the worst by far, each scare bigger than the last, he wondered if he was over-stressed from the work. When he looks up he sees Tom's reflection in one of the full length mirrors. Mirror Tom stops cleaning and looks straight at Chris, his smile growing to become a malicious grin, he picks up a large shard like he would a dagger and throws it straight at him. Chris falls down along with his chair, he couldn't believe his eyes, the reflection moved but Tom didn't. He says he's fine then exits the room as quickly as he can, he runs to the nearest place full of people, he doesn't want to be alone right now.

...

"_Assemble!". _Tom giggles into his hand, he tries his hardest not to laugh like a lunatic in public. He swore it was the best text he ever received. They all went to a dance club, had a few drinks, play pool and watching Mark and Scarlette have a dance off, it was a day he would never forget. At the end of it, they all had their fun and were ready to head back to their hotel.

"I think the taxi stand is over there" Evans checks his phone.

"We are so lost, aren't we, Cap" Scarlette bites back a laugh.

"Don't worry, we'll be back before filming tomorrow" Robert gives his charming Stark smile.

"Ahahaha and if we don't", Mark slings an arm onto Robert's shoulder, "we'd just get yelled at by Fury".

"Hey, Tom! Quit lagging behind, To-TOM!" the brit snaps his head in their direction, he quickly finishes the little autograph session and jogs towards his friends. The fans continued squealing in excitement for being able to see the avengers cast.

"Brother, you must stop doing that, what if we'd lost you" Chris booms.

"Bu-but Brother, I wanted to give my army some autographs, I must give the people what they want" they all break into laughter as Tom continues to use a whiny voice to "convince" them of his worthy cause. The crew separates into two groups; Jeremy, Scarlette, Mark and Robert are in the first cab, the Chrises are with Tom in the second. The captain decides to sit in front, their larger frames would have squished Tom in the backseat. They are all fatigued and start to fall asleep but before Hemsworth could close his eyes, Tom has been staring at him for quite sometime now and when he looks to the person leaning on him, he is asleep. He looks back at the mirror again, this time Tom has a dagger, he feels it digging into the skin of his neck and blood is dripping.

"Chris?" he looks at the Tom leaning on his shoulder, "You alright?".

Chris realises that there are two Toms with him, the one behind the other puts a finger to his lips, silently warning the aussie not to say a word.

"I'm tired, that's all, go back to sleep" Chris leans his head back against the seat and shuts his eyes, gritting his teeth he hopes it's a dream and that they would reach the hotel soon.

"You can't just do that! Do you how badly you scared him?!" Tom is pacing around in his hotel room, Loki just looks on with a smug face, very intrigued by the sight before him. Tom was getting angry.

"Your friend is unharmed and I never promised that I wouldn't scare anyone" a cheshire grin and another sip of tea, calm and enjoying the anger rising in his double.

"He's getting really stressed out, please stop doing this"

"No, I do what I want whenever I want, a mortal like you cannot tell me what to do"

A few knocks on the main door calls for their attention, Tom breathes in deeply trying to compose himself then wears the best smile he can muster.

He cracked open the door to check who it was, "Chris, hey, er- come in", he opens the door wide as the blond walks in and gives him a hug before planting himself onto the couch.

"Tom, who were you talking to?"

"Er, I was on the phone just now, something the matter?"

"You sounded upset, is everything alright?" Chris asks worriedly as Tom sits on the armchair opposite the couch.

"I'm…good" Loki was suddenly seated right beside Chris.

"I want to talk about something" the god was now sharpening his dagger, the sounds from it only Tom can hear, he's trying very hard not to wince at the noise.

"Okay" Tom gives a reassuring smile.

"I don't know if I'm tired or something, I see stuff that's not supposed to be there or bad stuff keeps happening to me. Sometimes…sometimes I see you-Loki going to hurt people, I don't know what's wrong" the man was so distressed and Loki seemed to relish this anguish he caused.

"Poor thing…shall I ease your pain?" Chris turns to stare at the direction of the venomous voice, the god was playing with the dagger precariously in his hand, any slip-up would cut the blond in the leg. Chris scrambles to Tom's side in a panic, his posture all defensive like and shielding Tom with his body, waiting for the "Loki" to strike.

"Loki, I told you to stop that!" Chris looks at Tom incredulously "Chris it's alright, he won't hurt you, right Loki?".

"I don't know, Thomas, I have the sudden urge to mangle something" he smiles deviously in Chris' direction.

"Tom, what's going on?!", "Er-surprise? I have my own personal god" his sheepish smile to Chris changed to a small frown when his gaze turned to Loki. Immediately, Chris drags Tom by the arm to the other side of the room and away from Loki.

"Are you outta your mind, mate?!" , he whispers hurriedly, " You can't take in a god, he-he's the god of frickin' mischief, what if he hurts people or tries world domination?!".

Tom explains his situation to the best of his ability, Chris just nods and uh-huhs while glancing at Loki every now and then, he didn't want to take any chances.

"Chris, please, he won't hurt anyone, he promised"

"uh, God of Lies, silvertongue, liesmith, trickster?!" his arms directed at Loki, who was sipping his tea quite casually on the couch.

"Listen, you know him as well as I do, well maybe I know more but-"

"Dude, how long has he been living with you…oh my god, he's the one that's been messing with me!"

"Took you long enough, mortals are such slow-witted creatures" Chris looked back to glare at him, Tom grabs Chris by the arm and turns the man to face him again.

"Chris, you trust me don't you?"

"I-I yeah, I do" at this Loki looks up from his teacup, he felt indignant again. This is why he didn't like this mortal even more so. Not only does he resemble Thor… he also acts like him, but more midguardian, more understanding. He storms over to the pair and wants to vent his frustrations on them, but Tom pleads with his eyes for him not to do anything, Chris is in the defensive pose again.

"…Please get along, Chris this is Loki, Loki this is Chris", says Tom as he stands between them, "I'll go get some pudding for us, you two get yourselves acquainted, no fighting or magic".

"Charmed, I'm sure" as Loki walks away, he narrowly glares at the blond. Funny enough they were almost the same height, Thor was supposed to be taller than this.

"Likewise" he replies with a growl, eyeing the god as well.

...

Chris finds it very hard to concentrate when Loki plays pranks on set, especially since the god made himself invisible to everyone but him and Tom then the brit just gives him a look, telling him to stay focused and ignore the trickster. He fails miserably.

"CUT! Chris, not you Evans, Thor-Chris. You have to look in that direction, not there" Joss walks to the armoured pair and directs with his hands as he says so, all while Loki is still hovering near the director's seat and waves his hand above it.

"Okay, camera rolling and-ugh, what is this? TOM?!" Joss' hands are sticky and covered with some amber coloured substance, the armrests of his chair were glazed with honey.

"Ehehehe, Loki'd!" Tom gives a cheeky grin, the actual Loki laughs and Chris just sighs in defeat and laughs too.

"When did you… all of you were in on this, I should've known!" Joss dramatically fake cries at this 'realisation' and when the crew tells him they weren't, he'd just pretend to sulk that they singled him out.

As he spends more time with Tom and Loki, the more Chris finds that the liesmith doesn't live up to that name or any of the other names completely. In fact, he was quite truthful when he wanted to be, not unless he wanted to prank someone though. However, he would be evasive if you pried too much. Respect others if you want respect, this was very true and Loki deserved it just like any other, the trio became closer and Loki didn't 'bully' Chris as much as before. Yet sometimes he doesn't get him, one moment he's all nice, then later he becomes irate and extremely peeved. He doesn't know what sets him off, but luckily Tom can calm him down.

...

"Where were you? It is late, Thomas" the only place in the room that is illuminated with light is the armchair Loki is in, with a book in hand.

"Went out with Chris and the others, di-did you wait up for me? I'm so sorry, it was sudden, I should have called you."

"It is alright, just… don't do it again." the god strides to the bedroom, voice and face impassive.

The next day, Loki seemed to be in a bad mood, Chris questions Tom and he shrugs not knowing why either. They only catch glimpses of him as he leaves every area they enter, he was avoiding them for some reason. That evening, Tom buys an assortment of the god's favourite confectioneries to appease him, he rejects the offer initially but gives in as Tom relentlessly teases with various "Mmm… this is so good" and "You should really try this". Loki reluctantly lets Tom bring a small portion of the sweets to share with the crew and cast. Tom and Chris can't chat with Loki unless they are alone, the only times are during breaks and after filming if they're not dead beat tired. The god is not supposed to exist, so they usually spend time with their midgardian friends and Loki either stays at the hotel room or tags along, unnoticed by others and unintentionally ignored by the two as they don't want to look like crazys. They do set time aside to be with him, it isn't easy as they have other obligations as well.

...

"Shh-"

"Robert, we shouldn't be doing this"

"Shut up Mark"

"Thanks for the assist Cap, now quiet"

The three men were standing outside Chris and Tom's dressing room, the side of their heads plastered to the door and ears straining to hear the conversation inside.

"Loki, don't be like that"

"We have breaks tomorrow, why don't all three of us go downtown for some fun?"

"What kind of fun?"

"Movies, play games, go to the arcade, play sports, play ping pong-"

"No, no ping pong. The last time we played I lost horribly, and I had backup with me"

"It's not my fault that I'm good at it"

"What is this ping pong?"

The men outside were stifling their laughter, why was Tom speaking in third person, were they playing? Maybe they were practising for their roles, but Tom spoke as if Thor and Loki were friends, Thor had an Australian accent, and they were mordern-ish.

"Reindeer games, ping pong is a … what the hell?!" Everyone was shocked and froze in place.

The three men, Robert actually, that opened the door were speechless. An exact replica of Tom was in the room.

"Shit, two Lokis? It's the end of the world!" over dramatic Robert palmed his face in distress.

"Wow, is he a new double?" said Mark as he moved forward.

"He looks just like you" Evan's jaw was agape.

"Er, this is going to sound crazy but- guys, this is the real Loki" Tom jazz hands and shows off the lookalike.

"Hahaha… hold up, that's your secret! I knew it, you used your doubles, sneaky bastard!"

"He isn't a double, he's the real deal" Hemsworth interjects.

"Try me"

"Loki do some magic"

"Are you sure Thomas?"

"Yes"

A glimmering light shines off Loki and he turns into Robert, then Mark, then Evans and finally back to a fully armoured god. Tom doesn't want to repeat himself, so Hemsworth does the explaining for him.

"So… are we gonna tell the others?"

* * *

To be Continued…


	4. Chapter 4

Another chapter!

* * *

Bruce and Tony are tinkering with the tesseract again for the umpteenth time, it either ends with a small explosion in the lab or lab equipment going haywire. The billionaire and Selvig's team are safely behind protective barriers while Bruce is allowed to go in, since he's gamma-proof as Tony puts it. However only for limited intervals, they still don't know the extent of the tesseract's magic and its hold over people's minds. What they know so far, from Selvig and Hawkeye's experience, is that it influences the person according to their needs and wants then it shows them how to accomplish it. Any other effects are not known, they don't want to risk anybody accidentally going rogue. Loki was able to use it to assist building the portal when Selvig and the agents were compromised, and if Loki's intentions reside within the cube, it could spell trouble for anyone who spent too much time studying it. They would take breaks frequently because of that, Tony was very reluctant with taking constant breaks but got convinced by Bruce that they could use the time away to work with holograms, statistics and researching more on the Einstein-Rosen Bridge Theory with Selvig and Jane. Tony became an expert yesterday. The two couldn't believe how quickly he absorbed the information and understood it, he learned so much in so little time compared to their years of never ending research and gained expertise on the subject.

It is months after the incident and Loki's disappearance, all traces at the site had dissipated just as Bruce said it would, there was nothing left to work with there and so they opened it to the public again. SHIELD put aside a lab for them to work together and brought equipment that were still in good condition from the previous research on the tesseract, they even help moved Jane's equipment from New Mexico. Due to Director Fury's concerns and Thor's "persuasion", they are all currently staying in the Avenger's Tower, a 15 minutes flight from the lab courtesy of SHIELD but Tony still preferred his suit. As everyone within their circle who could help was deployed, Thor felt useless, he didn't know much about science and was not well versed in magic as his brother was. He'd help a bit with asking the Aesirs and studying but it was so hard to absorb the information, he was so worried sick over Loki, he could be anywhere by now…he might have hidden himself away and never to be found. It felt like when Loki let go at the Biforst, falling helplessly into the dark abyss with disconcerting uncertainty on the safety of his life.

"Point Break, hows the 'studying' going?"

"It is no use Man of Iron, I cannot seem to focus for long enough, I worry for my brother."

"Let me take a look, with my genius I can-what the hell is this?! Asgardianish?"

"It is the language of my people, but now I am not too sure myself. It is difficult to understand the teachings in this book…or in any of the other books."

Tony gave a look of pity, as in not having the genius he does kind of pity, if it were him he would have finished all the volumes by now. Then again he didn't know how to read Asgardian, but whatever.

"C'mon, you need a break, poptarts?"

"A rest is most needed, where is Jane? I wish to share the poptarts with her."

The god becomes thoroughly occupied with Jane, the lovers's actions and sweet talk makes Bruce feel very awkward. He tries to leave but Tony won't let him, Darcy giggles as watches the show. Pepper arrives with food but Tony pouts because she didn't buy the snacks he wanted, she reprimands him for snacking before lunch, he blames Bruce for tattletaling on him. The doctor just shrugs and thanks Pepper for bringing them lunch.

"How come he gets junk food and I get boring food?"

"Comfort food is the one of the best ways to replenish my body"

"Neh, no fair" Tony sticks his tongue out petulantly.

He pokes at the food in his plate after a few bites, Pepper just smacks upside his head before deciding to force feed him. He won't open his mouth for the veggies, so Bruce jabs his side and his yells in shock are stuffed down with green. Tony glares at the innocent looking Bruce, who is looking at his food and pretending that never happened.

After the break, Tony goes back to the main lab of the facility, Bruce is already there with coffee cup in hand that read "Always Angry". The billionaire gifted it as a joke and also to make it more homey for Bruce since he was staying in the tower as well. Wow, that man can eat. The room was abuzz with activity, staff in white coats carry paper stacks of information and statistics, countless machines working round the clock. They were glad it was large enough so that Bruce didn't Hulk out from the possibly compact space and other scientists rushing back and forth. Even with the extra help from the SHIELD scientists, Darcy was still Jane's go-to girl, she still didn't like those guys and especially the agents in the room. Darcy looked around in amazement and wonder, this was much more elaborate and intricate than their see through lab back in the little town. With the newly made Stark equipment, it looked even more "sciency" than she though it could. As she scanned through the statistics on the screen, she can't help but keep looking back to the tesseract, that thing had a lot of power but it wasn't spiking like when it was used as a portal. Jane said it seemed to be in a hibernating mode of sorts, however it would wake up every now and then due to their-Tony's constant poking, then all hell would break lose and the power radiated would damage the equipment. She didn't know why but, she felt like something was waiting, watching. She shook her head of the thought, being in here with all these numbers and science jargon must be getting to her.

Meanwhile, Captain Rogers and the assassins continued to survey the same park, precautionary measures should the portal or Bifrost activate. The soldier was clad in civilian clothing, sketching his surrounding environment with deft precision, his sketchbook was filled with what he had observed for many months of being undercover. Hawkeye would change his perching post at intervals to make sure he scanned the entire park and not miss anything, even with his hawk like vision, the trees were in the way. Black Widow was also in civilian clothing, gathering possible information of anything strange. So far everything was peaceful, save for the pick pocket from last week and rowdy kids, nothing out of the ordinary or Loki-shaped.

"Any suspicious activity?" Clint is near the activation point they were at before Loki went missing.

"Like every other time you asked, no" Natasha may sound calm but she is actually really irritated, Clint can tell.

"But keep your guard up, anything can happen." Steve is trying to make the outline of the squirrel before it scurries away, it's still occupied with stuffing it's cheeks with nuts the blond left under the tree earlier.

"Yes, Cap" came the simultaneous replies.

They stay as a group for most of the day and switch the shift with agents in the evening, the Captain still comes earlier than he should though and Clint won't stop with the boy scout jokes, Nat just hides smirks when she notices the soldier blush slightly. Occasionally they close the park and the scientists bring the tesseract to the area to test if it will be activated by the same settings, they always return to the lab disappointed. Everyday the trio would meet up there to check as well, it is always an hour or two of eating lunch together before they split up for their respective posts again.

Thor gets more and more restless as the days go by, he feels their chances of finding his brother become slimmer everyday. Captain Steven helps by training with him, both use their full strengths to tire the other, mostly to drain Thor of his energy and give him something to think of besides worry endlessly. When the team has the time, they train together and better their tactics for group attacks and missions. They are able to understand how to engage enemies together and not get in the way of their comrades. They've even created various combinations of the avengers optimal strengths, each with different power, purposes and outcomes. Tony still bugs the hell out of everyone when he can, they've learnt to tolerate more of his nonsense because of this, then again his badgering also improves to match and still gets someone angry. Once in a while, they have dinner together, Steve's idea of group bonding. They sit at the large table he set up on the roof of Avengers Tower, Bruce and Thor bring in the food while Natasha and Clint look for a good movie to watch. Dinner was quiet till Cap tries to start a conversation, Tony sneaks in bottles of booze to the blond's disdain, he wanted them to know each other better but not like this. As Thor eats his dinner, he downs a bottle like there's no tomorrow, Tony still can't believe the Asgardian's impossible alcohol tolerance and they haven't eaten the main course yet.

* * *

The trouble with convincing someone that something supposedly mythological exists is that they think it is a joke or you've gone daft. The more people there are saying the same thing, the more likely it is a prank. Also, it was during break-time, which makes it all the more damning. The two cast members were just playing along to the story while the three lunatics continued to ramble on.

"It's true! How'd you think Tom got there so fast?"

"Hmmm, Loki teleported him? No?"

"Argh, no, it was either Loki or Tom in that room"

"Sure, is Thor here too then?"

"No, only Loki"

"Right"

"Guys, we're telling the truth!"

"And we are actually assassins sent by SHIELD to protect you guys from the villains that might pop up next"

"Jeremy!"

"No, it's Barton!"

Robert is grasping at his hair in frustration while Mark sighs into his palms, Evans stopped trying few 'arghs' ago and plopped onto the nearest chair in defeat. Hemsworth walks in, all heads turn to look at him, he just smiles broadly albeit awkwardly.

"So, you here to tell us about Loki too? or are you Thor?"

"We told you, only Loki is here, why you no understand?"

"Why you no stop joke, it's getting lamer by the second, it's kinda sad."

"Australian god, do something!"

"Erm, ta-da?"

Tom emerges from behind the taller man, giving a slight bow before introducing himself in the most regal tone the two have ever heard, they burst out laughing. Tom frowns. Suddenly, another Tom appears, identical to the first one. They stop laughing and stare like he'd just grown another head or an entirely other being in this case, both are very unsettling to look at, it's a bit scary. The two Toms are side by side, one was the picture of doom and gloom while the other was of sunshine and happiness.

"What was so funny? Please tell me- Loki what's wrong?"

The expression on the god's face was pure anger, he looked like he wanted to murder someone, Tom did not like where this was going. A flash of golden wisps surround his arm, a sceptre appeared in his hand and it's spear tip reached for Jeremy's chest. Scarlette can't peel her eyes away, it looked so similar to the scene they shot at the NASA building, she can't help but expect to see Jeremy's eyes diffuse to a different colour and intensity. The Tom behind puts a hand on the his doppleganger's, looking into the the angry one's eyes, the tension within the other's eyes seems to slip away and the object slowly vanishes from sight. He is still displeased though, but he walks away with a huff and sits next to Evans. She didn't know she was holding her breathe till she sighed in relief, she eyes him warily, now very cautious of the man and doesn't look away even for a second. Tom apologises frantically for Loki's behaviour, said god just snorts at the brit's one-sided conversation, as his two colleagues are still too stupefied by the reality of all this.

It takes time, a lot of time before they finally decide to trust Loki for long enough, they were having dinner together in Robert's room. It was silent because Loki wouldn't stop looking at them darkly, Tom unable to stand it any longer, pulls Loki to the bedroom and demands that he get along with the two. The god is suddenly too close for comfort and very in Tom's face, green eyes look into his with overwhelming ferocity, they are so close that Tom can smell an exotic mint of sorts. The man becomes flustered with face flushed light pink, then the trickster starts chortling like a maniac and leaves for the main room. Tom finally realises they've been had.

* * *

To be Continued…

It's a bit shorter this time because my brain can't come up with anything else, and my holidays are over, so school is taking over my life again. But I'll try to update as soon as I can, so hang in there awesome readers!

Bonus:

"Thomas, what is the point of this, this yoga?"

"It helps to relax the mind and body. Do you feel better when you stretch, like your worries are being released?"

"No, I feel embarrassed to be even in this room with you"

"Loki- don't go, you're supposed to blank your mind of anything and just feel the stretch. How about we change positions, I'll help you with the next one"

"Fine, but tell anyone and I won't be able to assure the safety of your life or the other party's"

"Deal, now put one leg forward and stretch the other, that's it. Give me your arms, there."

"Remind me, why are doing this again?"

"To help with your – ahem - anger issues"

"I do not have-"

"Yes, Loki, I know. We are just directing them in a more, er productive manner"

"This is productive?"

"Yes, Loki, just-just do it, alright?"

Tom thinks that the anger from Loki is somehow transferred to him, no, maybe…he hopes not.


	5. Chapter 5

Ta~Da, Thank you for waiting!

* * *

Tom decides that forcing isn't going to work, so he just goes with the flow and hopes they grow to like Loki. All of them know Loki isn't all that bad, it's just that he can be a bit overwhelming sometimes, they try to get along with him for Tom's sake. They notice that the Liesmith has a mask, it is a farce of his true nature, he wears it less now as he gets more comfortable with more people knowing he exists and that they acknowledge his very being. He feels that he has nothing to hide from them, he trusts them, however he still keeps a few personal secrets that he will never tell. It's a routine that he always goes to the set with Tom now, he likes this new lifestyle, with nothing to worry about and nobody from his world to stop him. He's finally free and he's even found some friends, he smiles at this word, he's never had any friends before. Thor's friends don't count, they don't like him and he doesn't like them either. What he misses most is his mother and the expansive grand library filled with his favourite books, he tries to push this feeling down and tries not to miss Thor too, he likes Chris better, he's more of an intellectual challenge.

They are filming the fight scene now, the one where the army has just started going through the portal. Tom is stringed up in the air above the Stark Towers set, Loki looks on very worriedly, Chris assures him it's fine but the god adamantly stands below Tom with arms wide open, to catch him just in case. Because of the new circumstances that come with the upcoming scenes, Loki decides to cast a barrier and protection spell on the cast members, they think he's overreacting and laugh it off. It's quite amusing to see that someone like Loki would do that, he'd usually do nice things for others discreetly. He gets embarrassed when someone thanks him and he knows it's genuine, unlike when he was in Asgard, where they had to be courteous through gritted teeth because he's the prince. The god is still not used to the way they treat him, he feels that he doesn't deserve it, sometimes he wishes that someone would admit they don't want him around. The way his life is now is like a dream, one he could wake up from anytime and lose them forever.

As he watches the filming progress day by day, he realises that it replicates most of what he experienced, he worries if Tom knows of his true heritage. He hopes not, he prays that he does not know. He doesn't want to lose him.

* * *

Another day of fighting dastardly villains and protecting the world leaves Tony Stark a very hungry billionaire, he wants shawarma and nothing will get in his way. He goes to the same joint near his place – Avengers Tower now- to get his favourite food and coffee, sweet heavenly coffee, sits at his favourite seat and chows down his… brunch. The other Avengers come in soon after, followed by loud chattering of excited customers, Steve is unhappy but puts a smile on for the crowd gathering near them.

"Tony, couldn't you have waited for us?"

"Sorry grandpa, I was too hungry to hear you."

Steve groans in defeat and asks what the others want before heading to the counter. The rest sit at their usual spots and began to sign autographs for the unexpected lines of people that suddenly appeared behind them. Fury demands the Avengers develop good PR with the public, so they have no choice but to oblige, then again it was nice to know that people liked them. Thor was unaccustomed and didn't understand at first but soon got the hang of things, he signed his name in Asgardian, much to the fans' delight. All the children were thrilled to hang around them, some had Avengers T-shirt designs and others had little plushies of them, it was cute. Tony would brag about himself and Clint would barter with him about who was the best, Thor would tell stories of their heroics, Bruce answers to the kids that ask about the Hulk, Steve would play with them, Natasha was surprisingly good with kids and would calm any that cried because Tony and Clint's argument went a bit too far, then Steve would make them stand in separate the corners.

It took a long while before they could finish eating, Bruce says they should have ordered takeout, Tony whines about the ambience of the place that was fit for eating shawarma. People sitting near them were astounded by the amount of food that thee powerhouses ate, Thor was finished with his 8th wrap now, Steve was still munching on his 3rd super upsized meal the restaurant owners specially created for them, Bruce just sipped on his 2nd large soda with about 10 wrappers on his side of the table. Other people could order the Avengers super upsized meal too and the challenge was if they could finish it, it would be free of charge, which mostly wasn't the case.

"Sir, it is with utmost urgency that you watch this live footage, immediately"

"Play video, JARVIS", says Tony as he slides down his mask,"Er, guys, you need to see this."

The Ironman suit projects a hologram from the supposed shoulder torchlight, the area shown was of somewhere in the east of New York City. A familiar figure was shooting beams and flinging vehicles, street lamps and whatever they could get their hands on, left and right, there was already so much damage on the scene even though it just happened.

"Thor, Ironman, we'll get there first and minimise damage as much as possible. Hawkeye, get the staff. Do not engage unless necessary, evacuate all civilians first, be on the defensive.", Captain America says all this while getting out of the restaurant and putting on his helmet, "Black Widow, we'll need the cuffs.".

Natasha gets an affirmative from SHIELD agents that the cuffs will arrive in a few minutes at the appointed location, she conveys this to the rest of the team as they fight off the re-animated scrap monsters that used to be vehicles. Thor hits another with Mjolnir and the scrap falls apart as it is hurled to the far end of the road, Iron man uses his repulsors to attract their attention and lures them into Black Widow's trap, sounds of explosions fill the air then metal rains down from above. Hawkeye shoots a dozen down with his blast arrows as he dodges road debris that is thrown at him, Captain aims his shield for the enemy's head but misses as one of the mechanical monsters block the attack and Hulk bulldozers a group of them down with tremendous force. The fight ended as soon as it started, once the cronies were beat, the leader vanishes into thin air. Thor yells in frustration and smashes his hammer into one of the monster's heads, even though they were victorious, they couldn't apprehend the culprit. A person who they thought was long dead.

* * *

"Loki, wake up!"

"No"

"C'mon, I made breakfast, eat it while it's hot"

"Fine. But I must inquire, why are you up so early, is it not your off day?"

"Actually I have something on today, I forgot to tell you, sorry"

"No matter, just be sure to get home before dinner, I don't feel like cooking tonight and no take out either."

"Alright, Alright, just get up will you"

"Where in the realms do you energy come from, you were hmm…dead beat yesterday"

"Ehehehe, I got a good night's sleep yesterday. Hey, what happened to your hand?"

"A small wound from my training yesterday, the new spell is quite difficult to master, I will get it soon enough though."

"Of course you will, you're the best sorcerer in all the nine- ten realms, if you include mine"

"Flattery is most welcome, but aren't you late?"

"Shit"

As Loki eats his English Breakfast, he watches Tom hurriedly preparing to go out, his heart sinks a little as the man says goodbye and shuts the door. He sighs and finishes his food in silence. As he washes the dishes he wonders if Tom has forgotten about occasion today, he shakes his head and tells himself it's not that important, he still can't help but worry just a little. The brit has been going out a lot lately and comes home even later, Loki feels lonely, he's never felt like this for a long time…

He doesn't accompany Tom to work as much as he did before, the Avenger's movie was completed and after the movie premier gala they all went their separate ways. That was about 2 years ago, they still keep in touch via video chat and social media. Speaking of which, the God of Mischief enjoys teasing the mortals online, especially those that claim to be in his army. He'd be the troll that riles people up by posting something bad about Tom or the others and going by his own name, there are so many copy cats that no one would suspect, but Tom and the cast know and would reply with playful banter. Today he decides to use the laptop for the entire day, it's his own as Tom needs his for work, watching videos, snack on pudding, post snarky comments about Benedict and provoke his fans.

It is past 9, Loki still waits up for Tom like he always does but today he feels like turning in early. He switches off the lights and trudges up the stairs. As he does, he hears the usual ting of the home keys being turned and the unlocking of the door, but what he hears next is new; it is the foot steps of a group of people and many rustling sounds as they move about in the living room, in the dark. He wills himself invisible and warps downstairs, Loki's eyes have not adjusted to the dark but he can see that the suspicious figures are still moving about. With a snap of his fingers, he turns all the lights on, everybody in the room freezes in place.

"How dare- Thomas? What is- Evans?" his eyes go wide as he recognises the cast in various positions in the room.

"Er, surprise?" answers a sheepish Tom.

"Happy Birthday, Reindeer games" smirks Robert.

"Before anything else, can you um, unfreeze us?" Hemsworth was on a stool putting up decorations, he was standing on the edge and could fall off any time.

Loki immediately removes the spell and gathers with everyone else. All of them give birthday greetings and their presents, the Silvertongue doesn't know what to say, he feels ashamed for ever doubting his importance with Tom. In Asgard, birthdays are celebrated every century. Most people don't know it's his birthday till the royal decree is sent out for celebrations and feasts in his honour, but they remember Thor's and spent months preparing for it. His birthday was always prepared solely by his mother and the servants. He enjoys small quiet gatherings, nevertheless Thor's boisterous and rowdy demeanour would always make it noisier than he likes it to be, at least the sweets helped soothe his irritation. Here on Midgard, he found out that such celebration was done every year, much smaller than the feasts he had but cosier. The cake was glorious and he fell in love with it, the gifts were not weaponry or enchanted artifacts but were presents of sweets and books that he would enjoy. Tom declares the surprise a success, Robert whispers "denial" in a sing song voice, Mark snorts and Scarlette just giggles as she takes another bite of the cake. Jeremy presses the camera button and quickly dashes to his spot in the photo, they all agreed with saying "Loki'd" when the camera clicks. They decide to upload the pictures and mess with the internet.

It was almost midnight, the rest went back to their hotels, they came to England specially for Loki's birthday and for that he was grateful. He felt that he was ready. He had wanted to do this for a long time but held it off for fear of Tom betraying him like many others had before him and leaving the prince to his loneliness again. The beams of the full moon shone through the window and illuminated the twin golden goblets on the small table. They were half-filled with mead, though Tom thinks it's a cup or more as the goblets are quite large. He gulps thickly in anticipation and nervousness as Loki starts chanting strange words, he lifts the dagger to his own palm and slits at an angle to allow blood to drip properly into one of the goblets. The god gestures for Tom to put forth his own hand and does the same, Tom winces when the skin is cut and as the cold evening air blows onto his hand.

"Thomas"

"Yes, Loki?"

"Whatever you do, you must finish all of it, understand?"

"I understand"

The goblets now have a greenish aura surrounding them, the mead within tinted with red, the two exchange their cups and lift them to their lips. They drink in silence. Tom has never tasted mead before, he finds the flavour intriguing but he feels that he might not be able to finish it. Loki drank his all at once, the actor can't believe he isn't drunk. Tom is only halfway through and he already feels light headed, the strong taste of the mead has become overwhelming, he doesn't want to drink anymore.

"Thomas, you must not stop, keep going" Tom nods his head and forces himself to finish. He puts the metal down with a large thud and immediately covers his mouth, he feels nauseated. Loki helps Tom to his feet and leads him to the bedroom, he flicks his free wrist and changes their clothes to pyjamas, he seats Tom on the bedside.

"I feel strange"

"All will be better in the morn, for now, sleep" he hands Tom a glass of water, the man drinks it greedily, hoping the feeling and lingering tang will be washed away with the water.

As he watches the brit sleep, he can feel the magic flowing, like river water rushing towards a waterfall. Loki usually never does this type of magic, the spell is something new and leaves him feeling warm and sated, he lies down next to Tom. It's not the mead that's making him heady, it's the magic that continues to tingle from head to toe, the sleepy god finally shuts his eyes and his mind wanders and drifts, he dreams of all the wonderful things that the morrow might bring.

* * *

To be Continued...


End file.
